Lid-lifter.



1T. J. MEEHAN.

LID LIFTER.

Pruculon FILED JAN. s, 1901s.

904,346. Patnted Nov. 1'?,Y 1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. MEEHAN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GUSTAV G. LOEHLER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

LID-LIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Application led January 6, 1908. Serial No. 409,555.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. MEEHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lid-Lifters and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in lid lifters.

A general objection to articles of this description is that there is no positive interlock between the lifter and the lid. In t-he ordinary construction, the lifter is simply inserted in a recessed portion of the lid with its end extending in a recessed portion of the lid with its end extending beneath a projection over the recess so that the lid is supported by the lifter by the weight of the lid causing a binding action therebetween. IWith lifters of this character however, it often happens, especially in cases of stove lids, that the said binding action is destroyed, perhaps by a jolt, and consequently the lid is dropped, an accident that frequently results in breaking the lid and also in personal injury.

.One of the objects of the present invention, therefore, is to overcome this objection by providing more positive interlocking means between the lifter and lid, and broadly the invention resides in the employment of a handle with a gripping jaw having spaced depending projections, one of said projections inclining towards the other.

vWhile the invention is not restricted to the exact details shown and described, nor simply to the uses referred to, still for the purpose of disclosure reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating practical embodiments of the invention and the particular features of novelty will be more succinctly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing the preferred form of my invention with relation to stove lid lifters. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slightly modified construction. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective View 'of the jaw end of the lifter shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation showing a little different form of lid, and in this view the lid is shown as associated with a man hole. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the lid shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating an improved application of the invention as applied to a one-hole lid.

1 designates the top of a stove and 2 a lid for one of the openings thereof.

In manufacturing lids for particular use `with the present invention, it is desirable that the lids be cast in the form shown in F ig. 1, wherein 3 designates a thickened portion in which are formed the forward and rear recesses, 4 and 5, spaced apart by the vertical or central projection 6. One of these recesses at least, is so disposed as to extend towards the dther to form a locking shoulder. In the drawings, the forward recess 4, is so illustrated forming the cavity 7, and the shoulder 8. In Fig. 1 the rear recess is also shown as extending toward the forward recess 4, forming a shoulder 9, which however is not so pronounced as the shoulder 8. The lifter 10 for use with this particular form of lid is provided at its lower end, preferably, with the solid base integral member l1, having downwardly approaching lugs 12 and 13, which lugs may be of any suitable contour at their edges. The forward lug 12, inclines rearwardly and is preferably curved or of hook shape,'the line of curvature being such that when in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the point of the lhook is slightly distant from the wall of the recess but projects centrally beneath the shoulder 8, to prevent upward displacement. The rear lug 13, is shown as inclining inwardly toward the forward lug 12, to form a bevel contact as at 14, with the rear face of the portion 6.

In the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the arrangement is substantially similar excepting that the forward face of the shoulder 8a simply inclines downwardly and rearwardly without forming the underlying cavity, 7. Also the rear portion 9a is provided with a beveled face inclining rearwardly and downwardly, or in an opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 1. Similarly the construction of lifter is slightly modied to suit these conditions, that is to say, the forward hook or lug 12a has a lesser curvature and the rear lug 1#L inclines rearwardly or in the same direction as the forward lug forming a rearwardly inclining beveled face to engage the beveled face of the portion 9a to form a friction connection therewith, as at 14a.

In Figs. 4L and 5, the lid is simply shown as provided with the two openings 15, passing through the lid, and adjacent one of these openings is formed a depending portion 16 cooperating with the lifter after the same fashion as the rear beveled faces of the central projection G'.

In operation the form of lifter shown in Fig. 1 is applied to the lid in substantially the position indicated by dotted lines, in

which position the end of the hook 12 will be disposed under the shoulder S, but resting against the upper wall of the cavity 7. In this position of course, the lug 13 will be outside of the recess 5. `When the handle portion of the lifter is forced downwardly therefore, the lifter will pivot on the shoulder S and, as the distance from the inside lower end of the lug 13 to the inside curve of the hook 12 is greater than the dist-ance between the shoulders 8 and 9, it will follow that the lug 13 will swing past the shoulder 9 but will bind against Ithe beveled surface as before described, drawing the hook 12 snugly against the shoulder 8 in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. In this position it will be seen that there is a positive interlock between the lid and the lifter which will not be destroyed without swinging the lifter around again to the position shown in dotted lines.

From the foregoing the operation with relation to Figs. 2 to 4L will be apparent. As to Fig. 6, it will be seen that with a one-hole lid and with the lifter in the position illustrated, upon the downward movement of the handle the rear lug 13b will engage the top of the stove and act as the fulcrum of a lever until the inner face of the rear lug engages the outer edge of the lid when the lid may be lifted as heretofore described.

l/Vhat I claim is 1. A lid lifter provided at its lower end with a gripping jaw comprising a base portion and a pair of depending lugs, the lower end of one of said lugs inclining downwardly and towards the other lug, said lugs being adapted to be placed in depressed portions of avlid, substantially as described.

2. A lid lifter provided at its lower end with a gripping jaw comprising a base portion and a pair of depending lugs, the lower end of one of said lugs being curved and inclining downwardly and towards the other lug, said lugs being adapted t0 be placed in depressed portions of a lid, substantially as described.

3. A lid lifter provided with a gripping jaw comprising a base portion and a depending rear lug and a forward lug rearwardly inclining in one direction only, said lugs being adapted to be placed in depressed portions of a lid, substantially as described.

4t. A lid lifter provided with a gripping jaw comprising a base portion and a rearwardly linclining forward lug forming a hook and a downwardly projecting rear lug, said lugs being adapted to be placed in depressed portions of a lid, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a lid having recesses separated by a vertical projection, and one edge of said projection extending over one of said recesses forming a shoulder with a lifter provided with a gripping jaw having a pair of depending lugs, one of said lugs inclining rearwardly and adapted to engage beneath said shoulder, and the other of said lugs being adapted to engage the face of said vertical projection on the opposite side of said shoulder, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix iny signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. MEEHAN. llitnesses:

F. R. Frr'roN, J. S. EINSTA. 

